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Review Summary: Be'lakor and Insomnium have a baby. The tide that's coming is definitely not frail. The genre of melodeath has had its ups and downs over the years. While most bands playing this genre of music have mostly been consistent, they've also struggled with repetitiveness and derivativeness quite a bit. Recent years have seen very strong comebacks by many bands, which has reinvigorated the genre and ensured that even more acts would come to reinforce its ranks. One such outfit is Countless Skies, created in 2009 by two longtime friends from England, Ross King and James Prat.
If the name of the band wasn't a dead giveaway, yes - Countless Skies borrow quite significantly from Be'lakor. But don't write them off as a half-assed tribute band just yet, as while it's definitely the easiest band to compare them to, they've got some moves even Be'lakor lacks.
The four-track, self-titled debut EP contains both elaborate guitar riffs very reminescent of their Australian influence, and melancholic, symphony-driven passages akin to Insomnium - all enhanced by very smooth and rewarding songwriting thankfully free of Be'lakor's predictability. While the band themselves proclaim that they favor melody and atmosphere over technicality, they still don't repeat Be'lakor's mistake and preserve variety in riff endings, keep transitions interesting and song structures vivid, playing expertly on the concept of buildup-and-release, making succeess seem effortless. The first track, "Ethereal", is a very good example of just how seamlessly the two aforementioned influences' styles have been fused and what a great idea that was when executed with the skill of the songwriters of Countless Skies. The other tracks don't fall behind compared to "Ethereal" at all - especially the memorable closer, "Reverence" with its grand main riff, extended acoustic passages and great sung melodies.
The clean vocals employed by Countless Skies are a big highlight in and of themselves, adding yet another dimension to their music and something to set them even more apart from their influences. The only problem with the EP is its length, making you wish for more. The quality of the recording and the production, while not performed in a professional studio, are surprisingly good - hardly detractors from the listening experience at all.
There was a review here on Sputnik of Omnium Gatherum's New World Shadows saying that their forte was basically taking elements of other bands' styles and making them their own, which was described as a form of cheating. I would say that Countless Skies, for all intents and purposes, give me the same impression. And they benefit from this approach just as much as Omnium Gatherum - if you are in the mood for some top-notch melodeath with highly rewarding melodies and more than enough variety, Countless Skies is for you. I for one will definitely be on the lookout for their future offerings.
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Recent yeras have seen
*years
Fantastic review with some nice track descriptions.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Correcting, thanks buddy! I expect this band to garner quite a following here on Sputnik, knowing how liked Insomnium and Be'lakor are.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
"Recent yeras have"
typo
" they've got some moves even Be'lakor lacks"
I think it's just lack*, assuming Be'lakor is a group of band members and not a one man project.
"hardly detractors from the listening experience at all."
I can see how detractors is meant to be used, but it kinda confused me at a glance. Might suggest using "detracts" instead.
Not sure about working in the reference to another review on sput, just eh.
Nice review overall though, pos'd.
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"Be'lakor and Insomnium have a baby"
Sold
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Definitely checking this, fantastic review.
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Not hearing a lot of Insomnium in this, sounds like a more symphonic Be'Lakor to me. It's ok, seems to be lacking that je ne sais quoi though that makes it special. Not sure what it is, but this feels a bit hollow. Also not the biggest fan of both the cleans and screams - cleans are boring and screams seem feeble and lack bite, resonance, and impact. Can see these guys developing into something good, though.
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As soon as I saw the album artwork I thought this was melodeath, it reminded me of Omnium Gatherum's Beyond, only in red...
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Gave this a listen... If these guys keep going in that direction, with better production, they can be a top melodeath act... Liked what I heard...
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Well, from what I heard, their first LP is coming real soon, and it's gonna have good production. Might be a worthwhile thing to check
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
I can see some Insomnium comparisons, though the atmosphere isn't so thick and full throughout, mostly just at times.
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Nice review, man. Pos'd. I have heard a bit from this and it sounds solid. I will listen fully asap.
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"Be'Lakor meets Insomnium" is EXACTLY how I pitched this EP to a friend. I can't wait to hear more from Countless Skies, although I hope their production values improve significantly.
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Nice review.
This is really not my cup of tea though, despite loving Insomnium. Just sounds too dry to me, but they have a nice sense of melody.
If they're content with being Insomnium/Be'lakor worship, that's fine. Can't knock them for that, even though I could do with a bit more spice myself.
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Giving this a go right now. I can see this being a little tucked away treasure to come back to. Hope these guys go on and make more material, especially to improve the production and realize their potential. Fingers crossed!
Nice review too, have a pos.
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I turned on Ethereal to give these guys a shot, was liking what I heard until the vocals came in. The cleans are okay I guess but the harsh vocals are pretty bad. He sounds bored. There's really nothing going on with his voice.
The guitar work was beautiful a lot of the time though so I'll keep an eye on them.
Also, while we're talking about up-and-coming melodeath bands, some of you might like these guys.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0hacdwPd5s&list=PLPCrAYxHuwaI1cP00yXEr4qvsxln3iRux&index=1
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https://countlessskies.bandcamp.com/track/tempest
new single out, looks like theyre going into the studio to record a new album at the end of the year
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https://youtu.be/FeC7xOyICHM
new song, but when i say they're making a new album at the end of the year i actually mean it this time
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Hey, carl... new album stream: https://www.heavyblogisheavy.com/2020/11/02/exclusive-premiere-come-bask-in-countless-skies-glow/
Reviews Ive read have been good for it
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